In Full Circle
by KaladinPotter
Summary: When James Potter comes home to find his parents brutally murdered his life is turned upside down and things that he once found important take a backseat to his immediate desire for revenge. Fortunately for him, there is another man with that same desire.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I neither own nor make money off any of the following material as it is owned by J.K. Rowling.

It was the quiet of the night that should have tipped off James Potter as he strode through the backyard of his family's manor. It wasn't unusual for his father to be up late in his study working or for his mother to be reading a book on the back porch. On this night, however, no noise was coming from the house and no light could be seen.

James felt relief as he caught sight of the dark exterior of the house. It wasn't that his parents disapproved of their seventeen year old son coming home at such a late hour it was just the manner of his return that made him nervous. Having just spent the better part of the night trying to find the bottom of a rather large bottle of firewhiskey with his best friend Sirius Black he wished only for his bed and not for a lecture on the dangers of drinking and apparating.

After just three or four stumbles James finally made it to the back door of the manor and, with all the subtlety of a cat being dropped in water, quietly opened the door and made his way inside. "Lumos," James whispered as he made his way into a large living room. The beam of light that emitted from his wand helped to lead him around several pieces of furniture and into the center of the room.

His slightly altered sense of awareness allowed his vision to slide over the object laying haphazardly beside the couch but a second glance back was all it took to sober him up instantly. "Mum?" James asked loudly. No movement came from the body and James repeated the question a little louder as he leaned down to flip his mother over. He let out a yelp and scrambled backwards as he caught sight of his mothers wide open eyes and slightly open mouth.

"Shit, shit, shit," James cursed as he desperately tried to shake his mother awake. "Dad," he yelled in the direction of his parents bedroom. He got up and ran into the adjoining hallway. A smiling picture of his parents on their wedding day seemed to mock him as he hurried through the hallway. "Dad," he yelled again as he pushed open the bedroom door. He found his father lying face down next to his bed. A wand was laying on the ground next to the dresser and some glass from the mirror on the wall lay shattered on the ground. It looked like his father had at least had the time to defend himself before he too was killed. A low moan escaped James lips and he let his legs collapse underneath him. He dropped his head into his hands and allowed the immense sense of sadness to overwhelm him.

xxxxx

Somewhere on the other side of England another man with unkempt black hair and spectacles also hit the ground. Harry Potter was quite used to being thrown around. It happened every time he used the floo network and it occasionally happened to him while playing Quidditch. Unfortunately, for him, neither of those things could prepare him for the power that sent him sprawling across the forest floor.

Letting out a few choice words Harry reached his arm into the front pocket of his pants and pulled out a wand. It was certainly beat up from years of use but ultimately appeared to be in working order. His other arm reached into the second front pocket and pulled out a small cloth sack that jingled as he shook it.

Satisfied that his meager processions had arrived safely with him, Harry forced himself into a sitting position and began to access the situation. His immediate surroundings were nearly indiscernible in the dark of the night, though a small sliver of moon light was peeking in through the leaves. A cool breeze made it's way through the trees and helped to clear his head but did nothing to recede the painful throbbing.

Wearily, Harry pushed himself to his feet and began to slowly stretch out his stiff limbs. Having just traveled twenty five years into the past, no one knew the importance of time as much as him. Even so, he would not rush the process of making sure his body was physically healthy. It was a mistake he had painfully made in the past and pulling a muscle in an unknown location, in an unknown time in fact, would surely slow him even more. He did not allow his mind the same luxury, however, and he immediately began to formulate his next move.

His current location was easy to determine, even through the darkness. Twenty five years into the past did little to change the area of the Forbidden Forest that Harry had used to mask his preparations for time travel. The various trees that Harry had used as bindings remained the same, albeit perhaps younger looking. This realization allowed Harry a moment of hope that perhaps it had worked but he forced himself to be rational. It was possible he had only sent himself back to the night before.

In theory the magic that allowed him to travel into the past should have placed him somewhere in the summer of 1977 and he hoped early in the month of June. Even being off by a few weeks would cause drastic changes to his plans and improvisation was something he hoped to avoid for as long as possible. If he found himself in July or even late June his first major plan would already be to late to implement.

xxxxx

 _Flashback_

"I still say that May should be the latest possible time for arrival if we are to be successful in this Harry. That gives you plenty of time to make contact with my past self and gives my past self plenty of time to create a believable working background for you."

Harry eyed his colleague with barely masked annoyance, "We have been over this enough. May is too early due to the limited amount of funds I will be able to bring with me. Unless you expect me to live on the street and still be able to competently conduct phase 1 while also quietly making myself known to some of the more prominent members of wizarding society in 1977. Or perhaps you think I should resort to criminal activity and make off with some poor sods Gringotts vault?"

The man scowled in return, "I was thinking more along the lines of a job, I know the concept may seem foreign to you."

"My work ethic not-withstanding, how do you purpose I find a job with no personal identity and no person who has ever met or even heard of me to vouch for me. I don't think you fully understand the precariousness of this plan. If I have even an inkling of a reputation as a man with something to hide then any chance of successfully completing phase 2 will be thrown out the window. Hell, I might as well sit here with you and hold the same god damn argument with you every day for all the good I would be in the past."

"Once you make contact with my past self money will no longer become a concern-"

"Your past self is a liability that we do not yet know the consequences of. I will not risk the entire mission on the kindness of your heart."

The man held his hands up in defeat, "Alright, alright keep your glasses on. I just think we need to fully think this through before moving forward. We are meddling with time itself you know, we should not hurry this process."

"The time for caution has ended. We move forward with our current plan. We have spent the better part of a year devising it and it will not fail. I will not allow it to fail."

"Have you- have you considered the possibility of failure Harry?" the man asked softly.

This time Harry did not even attempt to mask his annoyance as he glared at his collegue. Had he considered the possibility of failing? Hell, it was all he thought about. Every waking second he contemplated what he intended to do, the lives he would change without even asking permission, the prospect of returning Voldemort to life after having killed him just five years earlier.

"I will not fail."

xxxxx

James wasn't exactly sure when the numbness turned into blinding anger. Somewhere between the somewhat harsh interrogation by the lead Auror and the kinder questioning by his Headmaster Albus Dumbledore James finally began to realize just what had happened to him. In the span of a few hours he had gone from concern over hiding his drunkenness from his parents to the heartbreaking feeling of being newly orphaned.

"James I am so sorry my boy," Dumbledore said sadly, "No person should experience the death of a parent at such a young age." James looked up to the man, his teary eyes in stark contrast to the anger that showed on his face, "Who did this, who did this to my family?"

Dumbledore's frown deepened as he addressed the increasingly distressed teen, "Until a full investigation takes place we cannot know, however, I have some suspicions on potential suspects."

"Who would- why would anyone want my parents dead?" James forced out as he tried to pull himself together in front of a man he greatly admired.

"If the Aurors are able to confirm my suspicions I will answer that, you have my promise."Dumbledore replied softly.

"Until then we need to address your current living arrangement until school starts. As an adult you are of course entitled to remain here in your family home. However, I seem to recall a certain Mr. Black claiming to own his own place near Diagon Alley this summer. Perhaps it would be best for you to be around loved ones, in such a trying time as this."

"I don't care about my fucking _living arrangement_ ," James snapped, any attempt at calming himself gone as a new wave of anger took him. "I am going to find out who did this and I am going to make them pay for what they've done."

Dumbledore's face grew stern, "James I implore you to have patience in these dire times. Let the Aurors do their jobs and enact your revenge on the cowards who committed this crime." James made to argue but he was cut off, "After the investigation we will discuss what to do going forward, you have my word. Until then I suggest you go be with your friends, it may help to cheer you up even if such a thought seems impossible at this time."

James let out a sigh as he leaned back into his chair, " If the Aurors don't catch them soon I will go find them myself."

"If the Aurors do not catch them you will have my full support in that endeavor I assure you," Dumbledore replied gently, "Now go be with your friends."

The numbness returned to James as he got up and walked over to the fireplace. Sirius doesn't even know. A new wave of sadness washed over him as he thought of the friend that he considered a brother. While they weren't actual brothers by blood everyone, especially James, considered them to be. The previous summer Sirius had even moved in with them and he had on more than one occasion claimed to have loved Charles and Patricia Potter as his own parents.

It was going to be a very long night.

"Sirius's Pad," he called out and he stepped into the green flames.

xxxxx

The commotion of downtown London was enough to bring Harry's headache back to the forefront of his mind as he walked briskly down the street. The night had turned into early morning and with it brought honking horns and screeching tires as people hurriedly made their morning commutes. Despite the effects the vehicles were having on his headache they did bring him some sense of relief as he noticed the decidedly older model cars than were available in his time.

The apartment complex that Harry approached had the look of a rundown building that hadn't seen maintenance in years. The concrete steps that led up to the entrance were crumbling and forced the walker to considered each step carefully before actually proceeding. The entrance door was barely in better shape and the windows on each side of it were missing several panes.

The appearance of the building caused Harry to pause and a worry to grow inside him. This was not how the building was described to him. Had he missed so widely on his jump back in time that the entire building was different?

He gently pulled the door open and stepped into the entrance hall. The inside of the building left him in momentary shock as he took in the beautiful chandelier that illuminated a rich grand staircase and walls lined with paintings of various people who were now giving him an odd look as he stood dumbly by the door.

Harry mentally berated himself on having mistaken the obviously intricate muggle-repelling charm designed to make the upscale apartment complex appear as a rundown building on the exterior. Bloody insecure wizards and their refusal to assimilate on any level with people they deemed inferior to themselves. It would surely lead to their downfall sooner than any Dark Lord would.

Shooting a glare towards the nosy paintings Harry quickly ascended the staircase and began searching for room 13 where the first, and perhaps most integral, part of his plan would take place. He would either leave this building with an important ally deep inside the Ministry who could help provide him an identity or die trying. He could not fail in this.

He found the door for room 13 rather anticlimactically positioned between doors 11 and 15 in the first hallway he walked down. Harry found himself uneased at the simplicity of finding it, the man's future self would not have allowed his living quarters to be so easily discovered. But then wars changed people and that could certainly be said for both of Voldemort's attempts at world domination.

As Harry waited for an answer to his knock he mentally prepared himself for the conversation that was about to take place. His colleague's future self had assured him that he would be easily persuaded to believe Harry's story of time travel but that did little to ease his worry as a misstep here would derail his plan entirely at best. At worst he could find himself dueling a younger version of the man he had almost considered a friend.

After a short time the door was opened by a disheveled looking man who appeared quite annoyed to be called upon at such an early hour.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am looking for a Mr. Theodore Denton."

The man eyed Harry suspiciously, "And who told you that you could find a Mr. Theodore Denton here?"

"You did Theodore. Or rather, you will roughly twenty five years from now. You also told me that you may not be alone today so I think you should ask her to leave for a few hours. This is a conversation better had in private."

Harry saw the man's eyes flick over to a partially closed door inside the room but that did not distract him from noticing his hand slowly releasing the door handle and reaching for his pocket.

"I think you've got the wrong information sir. No such person lives here, now good day." The man made to close the door but Harry shoved it back with one hand while his other made it's way toward the pocket that concealed his own wand.

"What if I told you that I came from a future so ravished by war and bigotry that I, with your help, concocted a plan to travel to the past in order to prevent it all from occurring. Me and you Theodore, we are the only hope our civilization has at retaining our way of living."

Harry stared the man in the eye willing him to believe his story. The blunt revelation was not his idea but he could see the logic in depicting a story of heroism to an ambitious young man with delusions of grandeur. No, there was nothing heroic in what they planned but Theodore Denton did not need to know that. Indeed, all he needed was the time to tell his story and then, as the muggles say, the chips will fall as they may.

"I would say you are fucking crazy," said the man. "But then I never did outgrow a childish love of mythical stories."

Theodore turned and began walking towards the interior of his living quarters. The door remained opened which was as close to an invitation as Harry expected to receive so he followed after.

"Teddy," Harry said. The man froze momentarily at the casual use of his nickname before he turned and stared at Harry questioningly.

Harry nodded towards the partially open door inside the room, "This conversation is meant for your ears only."

Teddy paused before motioning towards the furniture, "Make yourself at home." He then entered the aforementioned room and shut the door behind him.

xxxxx

 _Flashback_

"I would say you are fucking crazy," Teddy said.

"But you wouldn't say it is impossible."

"Impossible? In theory no, but Harry this- what you plan-," Teddy paused as he considered the right words to describe what he was thinking. "It's fucking crazy," he finished rather lamely, but he felt they were the perfect words for such an idea.

"Fucking crazy happens to be my specialty," Harry said with no trace of emotion on his face. "In fact, you could say I exceed exceptionally when doing fucking crazy things."

As usual, his friends odd sense of humor left Teddy unfazed. "Perhaps I used the wrong words then. Stabbing a basilisk with a sword is fucking crazy. Riding a dragon out of Gringotts, now that is fucking crazy. But this-," Again Teddy grasped for a way to put his feelings into words. "It's- it's just fucking crazy!"

"Once again your way with words leaves me in awe. Have you ever considered a career in speech writing?" Harry said deadpan, " Merlin knows that boring old Minister could use some life in his next depiction of just how much we have to blame the muggles for."

Teddy chose to ignore that quip as he contemplated what Harry was suggesting.

"I cannot support this idea Harry. You may be The-Man-Who-Vanquished or whatever bloody title they have bestowed upon you these days but you are not a god! And I will not support you in playing as one. I will not allow it."

Harry looked at the man who had become the closest thing he had to a friend since the end of the war with a flicker of emotion finally showing on his face. "You are right, I am not a god. Nor do I intend to play at being one, but think of the lives we could save if we succeeded, Teddy. Millions or more. What is that if not an honorable cause worthy of us doing everything in our power to make a possibility!"

"Honorable? You speak of saving millions of lives while at the same time ignoring the fact that you will be rewriting history for billions of others. Where-," Teddy was interrupted by Harry suddenly standing up with a look of determination.

"I have of course considered that, in fact it is the only thing that has held me back from doing this long ago. But we continue to sit here and do nothing while our own government is committing atrocities against muggles and muggle-sympathizers alike! Yes, we will be rewriting the lives of billions of people but it is for the greater-"

This time is was Teddy who brashly interrupted, "If you fucking say the greater good I will lose it. What the hell is going on with you Harry? The man I know would never consider ruining innocent lives as a means to an end."

Harry sank back into his chair in defeat. The look of determination was gone and in it's place was the face of a man who was lost.

"We've lost, Teddy. I defeated Voldemort and yet his will lives on in the people of our world. Thousands are dying daily due to his influence and for the first time in my life there are people out there who need help and I- I can't give it to them."

Teddy sank into his own chair and stared at Harry. His friends sudden and unusual display of vulnerability left him at a loss for words.

"I mean to go through with this Teddy. And when I get to what ever afterlife there is and meet my maker I will gladly pay for all of the wrongs I have done. But I cannot- I will not sit by and allow all this wrong to happen when there is a chance, a flicker of a chance, that I can prevent it."

xxxxx

" So what's the next step then?"

Harry marveled at the man's seemingly instantaneous acceptance of his story. He had expected veriteserum at the very least and yet all it had taken was a few hours of detailing future events to the man to persuade him to his cause. Harry could relate somewhat, trust was a character flaw that he had only been able to correct through his own painful experiences. This war would be a bitch slap to the wizarding world's unprepared face.

"My first job is to become known to the important members of society who will play a key role in this war. But before I can become known I need to acquire a legit background that will pass all forms of inspection and that is where you come in. This is crucial so you can not fuck this up."

"Right. So no pressure then." Teddy nervously fidgeted in his seat as he refused to meet Harry's eyes. "It's just that-"

"If you do not think you can complete this task I will find someone who can," Harry said. It was an empty threat, mostly, but Teddy did not know that. There were few men who could provide what Harry needed and even fewer who would be willing to do so.

"No, no I can do it. It's just- after hearing of all the awful things that are going to happen I was hoping to be able to take a more hands on approach," Teddy said while finally meeting Harry's eye, determination overcoming his earlier nervousness.

"Do not wish for blood with war so soon to become reality, you will quickly become sick of it." Another lesson Harry had learned the hard way. It seemed likely that everyone else would soon come to the same painful realization.

The rising sun peeking through the curtains of the room served as an appropriate distraction for Teddy to break the eye contact of the cold man in front of him. The tension in the room coupled with the weight of what they were planning left Teddy with a strong desire to shift the conversation toward lighter topics, if only to allow his mind time to fully grasp the situation.

Forcing himself to face Harry again and putting what he hoped was a friendly smile on his face Teddy said, "So time travel huh? This must be a pretty weird experience for you. You'll probably meet loads of people you knew from your time. Maybe even your family! I bet your parents are about your age now huh?"

Harry sighed and leaned forward in his seat openly glaring at the man in front of him. "Now let me make this clear from the get go so there are no misconceptions in this. I am here to prevent Voldemort from becoming the power he could become and in doing so stop the world from descending into madness due to his influence. I am not," Harry emphasized, "here to make friends with you or anyone else who could potentially deter me from this path. We succeed in this and that is our one and only goal, is that clear?"

Teddy coughed awkwardly and stood up, "Right. Right, of course. I suppose I should get to it then."

"And Teddy," Harry called to the man's quickly retreating back. Teddy turned and looked at the man who had flipped his life upside down in the span of a few hours. "Yeah?"

"We will succeed in this, I promise you."

The look that Teddy saw on the time traveler's face was all it took to erase any lingering doubt that was in him. This man may not be the most friendly of people but there was something in him that inspired trust and inside Teddy felt a deep, almost instinctual desire to earn the man's trust as well.

"I believe you," Teddy said before turning and exiting the room.


	2. Chapter 2

As Harry read through the several pieces of parchment that Teddy had left for him he couldn't help but marvel at the man's competence. Despite the general lack of ambition that Teddy had showed over the last several days that Harry had spent in his apartment he could not deny the man's ability. With some nudges in the right direction from Harry he had crafted a complete background for a Mr. Harry White, complete with family and medical history and most importantly a detailed overview of his education and test scores.

Harry White was born to a British couple that traveled the world to provide magical education to children in some of the poorer countries of the world. This not only left Harry with a plausible explanation for why he did not receive a formal education at any of the established wizarding schools but also provided a cover for why no one in England would actually have any recollection of a White family.

"This is excellent work Teddy," Harry said as he dropped the parchments onto the table that had quickly become his makeshift desk. "Is it all verifiable in the Ministry as well?"

"Rock solid on all layers," was Teddy's reply as he leaned on the nearby kitchen counter with a rather haughty look on his face. "It wasn't easy but not even a full on Ministry investigation will turn up a single suspicious document."

"Good work," Harry said while turning back to his desk and half-heartedly making an attempt to organize all of the papers lying haphazardly over it. "This will allow me to immediately begin to assimilate myself in society here in England."

The last few days had largely been frustrating for Harry, who had forced himself to remain inside at all times. Without an identity it had been to dangerous to risk moving about in public. On the other hand, this had provided him with ample time to study the current events of the world that had now become his own. His eyes caught sight of the most current edition of The Daily Prophet that seemed to always be on top of the other papers on the desk despite Harry's best attempts at covering it with other documents.

POTTER FAMILY FOUND MURDERED IN HOME

Son, James, only surviving member of the Potter lineage

The news hadn't been shocking to Harry but it did provide a wide range of emotions that had only served to distract him from more pressing matters. Relief that he had arrived to late to help and thus risk the entire plan as soon as he arrived. Guilt over not being able to save the lives of his grandparents and sadness that he had not been able to prevent the sorrow his father must be feeling, a sorrow that only orphaned children and teenagers truly know.

Most distracting of all his emotions was the feeling of loss that always accompanied his failures. He had traveled back in time to prevent such terrible events from occurring and yet he had already failed as he seemingly always did. The other emotions he would force to change into determination to help drive him towards success but the feeling of loss was something he would carry with him always. It would serve as a reminder of the consequences of his shortcomings.

Teddy had apparently noticed the headline too as he sighed and said, "So it begins."

Harry nodded distractedly as he continued to stack up all the papers that were on the desk, unconsciously placing the mocking headline of his family's murder at the bottom of the stack. It would not do him any good to continue to brood over it.

"And what a beginning it is," Teddy continued, "I met Charles Potter a few times. He seemed to be a very good man. I think he would have been a very capable ally for our cause." Teddy had taken to calling it "our cause" almost immediately and it had served to reinforce Harry's belief that he had chosen the right person to reveal his story to.

Teddy's revelation did nothing to quell the feeling of failure that had arisen in Harry since his self-imposed imprisonment in Teddy's apartment.

"Events are moving quickly and I cannot waste anymore time here or I'll find myself chasing to catch up when I should be two steps ahead of every move Voldemort makes," Harry said after a moments pause.

"What's next then?" Teddy asked, eager to continue helping this man that had forced himself into his life.

"Tomorrow afternoon there will be an attack on a small trinket store in Diagon Alley that I intend to prevent. You have done well providing me a background so quickly. With it I will be able to make myself known to the Ministry while also striking a blow at Voldemort while he remains relatively weak."

"Two birds one stone," Teddy nodded along appreciatively. "And yet a full fledged assault on Diagon Alley seems rather different from weak, Harry."

Harry stood and stretched, his back giving an audible pop at the sudden movement after the last few days of relatively little use. He really had spent to much time being idle and he was beginning to feel anxious to proceed with the plan. "It will be more of a robbery than an assault. I believe he uses this opportunity to steal several rare pieces of jewelry that will provide him a large sum of money on the black market. He is weak because as of yet he has a relatively small following but with that money he will have the foundation to begin a more vigorous recruitment."

Teddy did not immediately respond and Harry took advantage of the momentary silence to walk over to the large window that overlooked the front of the complex. The view was never spectacular and the day's dreary weather did nothing to improve the image but it had become a sort of ritual spot for Harry to spend his time since he had moved himself into Teddy's apartment. The far side of the street was jam packed with storefronts and buildings where apparently space effeciency took precedent over arcitectural beauty.

It was the normalcy of it that made the view so enjoyable to Harry. There was no boarded over windows or businesses with closed signs hanging from the door. The young family that walked down the street had never _really_ had to fear for their lives or worry that someday soon their lifestyle could possibly come to a crashing halt. That mentality felt so foreign to Harry and yet he felt himself striving to maintain it at whatever cost. For what he hoped was the final time Harry squashed his inner feelings of failure and turned his mind to what he could help to preserve for the future.

Any further thoughts of the future were interrupted by Teddy who had taken Harry's former seat and was reading through the article about the Potters. "There's something I have been having trouble wrapping my head around since you told me of this Voldemort."

Harry allowed himself a small smile as he took a seat across from Teddy, "I'd expected this conversation days ago, Teddy. You have been entirely to trusting of me."

Teddy scowled and set the paper down, "I am not doubting the validity of your story Harry nor do I need a lecture on caution, least of all from you."

Harry ignored the jab and simply shrugged his shoulders, "Then what's the problem?"

Teddy once again fell silent and returned his attention back to the paper. Harry had learned long ago that rushing Teddy while he was thinking did nothing but draw out the length of time it took him to speak what was really on his mind. It was a trait that he felt himself lacking.

"It's just- why?"

Harry forced himself to not mock Teddy's barely lucid response after such a lengthy silence and simply said, "Why what?"

"What is the purpose of this," Teddy exclaimed while brandishing the now rather wrinckled Daily Prophet, "What about this drives people towards him?"

Harry did not immediately reply and it seemed to put further fire to Teddy's words, "Everything you have told me about this man makes no sense Harry. What does this man offer people other than torture for failings and their very own personal room in fucking Azkaban?"

Harry made to reply but was interrupted by Teddy's continued tirade, "I mean I can understand the sociopaths that gain enjoyment out of other peoples suffering but that requirement won't leave him with much for followers, will it? So my question is why?"

Harry waited a moment to ensure that Teddy was done before saying, "Power, Teddy."

His answer did not calm Teddy down any and an angry look came on his face, "Power? A lifetime of fear and pain all in the hope of gaining power?"

"Mankind's greatest weakness, the desire to be strong, lies within all of us. Even in the weakest of people," Harry said, "Perhaps even moreso in the weak. It will drive people towards him just as weak and strong alike have been driven towards all men who achieve power."

The room once again fell to silence as both men sat in thought. Harry, who had moments before been despairing about the future, felt confidence blossom within him for the first time since his arrival in 1977. Teddy was proof that these people had the mindset that had been eroded in Harry's time. The belief in doing what was right had all but disappeared despite Voldemort's defeat at Harry's hands. Fear and propaganda had carried on his message even in death.

With Teddy and others like him by his side Harry knew that he could prevent that from happening again even if he failed to bring down Voldemort for the third time.

"But you killed him right? I mean even if this guy was all powerful and people truly do seek to gain power at any cost, which I don't agree with by the way, why didn't people chose you over him?"

Harry pulled himself from his thoughts and said, "Maybe I was being a bit short-sighted in my answer. Voldemort used many methods to bring people to his cause. Fear, threats, and lies can be very persausive if used correctly. As for killing him, yes I did that. But it was no battle of equals. I simply got lucky."

Teddy frowned, "What are the odds you'll be able to get that lucky again?"

Harry looked away from Teddy to mask his uncertainty. Would he be able to kill Voldemort again? He would have no horcrux inside him to take another killing curse. Any familial protection that Dumbledore believed so strongly in was likely voided now that he didn't have any _real_ family. Those protections were lost to him yes but he could overcome that simply by being better than he had been.

What truly concerned him was the prophecy. It had haunted his thoughts ever since he had intially began to consider rewriting history. Was it possible that the as of yet unborn baby of James and Lily Potter was the only person who could truly kill Voldemort? Or was his very exsistence in this timeline enough to meet the prophecy's requirements. Perhaps the prophecy would not even be made due to his intervention. Time-travel was damn confusing.

"It is unlikely."

Teddy snorted and shook his head, "Great, I've aligned myself against a homocidal maniac and my only ally considers in _unlikely_ that he can be stopped." Shaking his head some more Teddy stood from his seat forcefully and walked towards the door. He stopped and looked at Harry his face displaying his annoyance, "If you need me I'll be outside digging my own grave."

Harry rolled his eyes at his partners antics and said, "Would it make you feel better if I hugged you and told you everything would be okay?"

Teddy glared again, his previous anger returning to the surface, "You know, I understand it, I really do. You enjoy being a shitty person to everyone around you. Whatever, you be who you are Harry but it seems to me that the future sent back it's glorious warrior when it should have sent back a peacemaker because so far the only fucking thing you've been able to accomplish is pissing off the only real help you have."

Teddy's retort cut Harry deeper than he let it show. Harry had become a product of his environment or at least that was the excuse he allowed himself.

"My point," Harry said while motioning for Teddy to wait, "Was that we won't be relying on luck. I know every single thing that he will do and we must use that to our advantage before he changes his plans."

It was a bold-faced lie but Teddy was right. Alientating himself would change every already difficult situation into a border-line impossible situation. When had he gotten so good at lying?

His reply seemed to be enough for Teddy because he returned to his seat. "I'm still going to buy a shovel though."

"Yeah," Harry said turning back to the documents on the table, "Maybe you should buy me one too."'


	3. Chapter 3

It was going on mid-afternoon a few days after the worst day of his life that James finally opened his eyes to the world. A large blanket was currently blocking the sole window in the small guest bedroom of Sirius's apartment that James vaguely remembered sticking to the wall as the first rays of sun had begun to light the room several hours earlier in the day. The near pitch darkness of the room did little to abate the pounding of his head that had forced him to consciousness.

His mother would certainly have an adverse opinion of his recent insobriety and at the moment he couldn't disagree. He had been, as would be expected, a wreck after coming home to find his parents, the only remaining family he had, murdered in his home. Upon arriving at his best friends apartment three days ago he had immediately told Sirius the tragedy that had befallen his family and the two men had spent several unabashed hours mourning the loss of the people who were parents to both of them.

It did not take long for anger to overcome the sadness however, and they had stayed up until the early morning hours plotting revenge on the still unknown assailants. Sirius, being the friend that he was and also in mourning himself, had flooed into work that day and the next and James honestly did not know what he would have done had he not. His other two best friends, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, had joined them the following day and the tears had fallen fresh again. James was sure he had never cried as hard and long as he had those days and he hoped that he never would again.

Being young adults as they were and with all of them searching for ways to forget their most recent tragedy they had fallen deep into a bottle of firewhiskey that night and their plans for revenge had grown more bold with each pull. Their last plan, before Peter falling asleep at the table had forced them all to bed, had involved infiltrating a criminal ring in Knockturn Alley and forcing answers out of the leader. While no one knew for certain that such an organization actually existed, it had at the time been the answer to all of their problems.

As James lay there in the darkness and allowed his head to clear he began to feel increasingly foolish about the previous nights discussions. Infiltrating a criminal organization might be a plausible course of action for an Auror trained for duty, but it was equally implausible that he or his friends could do the same and probable that the only thing he would achieve was joining his parents in death. It was true that he was better than your average student in Transfiguration and he could certainly hold his own in the Defense Against the Dark Arts field. Unfortunately, the people who had murdered his family were clearly skilled if they had been able to take down his parents with apparent ease.

One thing he was certain of was that his life dream of playing professional Quidditch was no longer in consideration. As a younger boy he had scoffed at the idea of following in his father's footsteps and joining the Department of Magical Law Enforcement but that feeling had now changed entirely. Only by becoming an Auror would he get the proper training needed to avenge his parents. Luckily, despite his general lackadaisical attitude towards education, he was still in-line for meeting the requirements to join Auror training.

Along with changing his poor study efforts he would also have to become a better student in general. His rebellious attitude and shockingly large detention record would make it difficult for anyone to actually consider him for a law enforcement position. He could only hope that a renewed drive in his 7th and final year at Hogwarts would be enough to change minds of his ambition. His friends might be disappointed in his new plan to be a proper student but he knew he would receive their support. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if they joined him in it.

That was the kind of people his friends were. While admittedly they were frequently assholes to their classmates, especially Slytherins, they were iron-clad in their support of each other no matter the situation. When they had the drive to accomplish something, such as becoming Animagi to help Remus out during transformations, they would let nothing hold them back.

James decided that he needed to thank Professor Dumbledore the next time he saw him. Coming to be with his friends had been exactly what he needed right now. Had he chosen to stay at his parents place in solitude it was likely he would have done something equal parts stupid and dangerous.

Pulling himself from his thoughts James groped around in the dark for his wand and upon finding it sent a banishing spell towards the covered window. He let out a yelp and quickly covered his eyes as the mid-afternoon light suddenly filled the room. He forced himself out of bed and scrambled around looking for his clothes and more importantly his glasses.

He needed to get out of this place for awhile and get some fresh air. While Siruis's modest living arraignment was impressive for a man who had been kicked out his parents house before finishing school, it had begun to feel cramped in the two days he had stayed their without leaving. The claustrophobia was quickly outweighing his desire to stay out of the public.

He made his way out of the bedroom and was immediately hit with a smell that nearly sent him sprinting for the toilet. The living room was a disaster with various alcoholic bottles littering everywhere from the table to the floor and for some reason even inside the cage of Siruis's pet owl. Apparently they had thought that Talon might want to partake in the festivities. His first thought of leaving the room to be cleaned later was quickly changed after an indignant hoot and glare from the aforementioned owl.

James set about cleaning the room muggle way because he thought his pitiful grasp of household charms would probably exacerbate the mess rather than speed up the process. He was glad he did as he caught sight of a hastily jotted note from Sirius on top of the disaster that was the dining room table.

James

Had to run into work before ol Sallow gave me the boot. Kicked out Moony and Wormtail to give you some privacy. Drop in to The Shoe if you need anything. I will probably be stuck here all night.

Sirius

P.S. Hope your head is feeling better than mine is. Bloody hell.

P.P.S. Never get a fucking job.

As James read the note he smiled for the first time in days. He didn't envy Sirius as The Shoe, the tavern where Sirius worked to pay for his apartment, probably looked and smelled similar to the room that James had just cleaned. It was nice of Sirius to offer his company but James knew that he was on thin ice at work as it was for not showing up the last two days.

The thought of returning to his own home crossed his mind but he squashed that idea. He wasn't ready for that yet. Even the thought of going for a fly didn't bring about the thrill of excitement that it usually did. Resigning himself to the pitying looks of well-wishers he eventually decided on a trip to Diagon Alley. The large wizarding community was high on the list of places he least wanted to be currently but it was home to Flourish and Blotts where he planned to purchase some books to begin his new drive towards becoming an Auror.

Deciding he didn't care enough about his appearance to clean himself up he stepped into the fire place and called out, "The Leaky Cauldron".

xxxxx

"Hey, don't worry Harry I'll pay the bill," Teddy said sarcastically as he handed some coins to the girl at the counter. The day was stretching into evening when Harry and Teddy had arrived at Diagon Alley and the crowded streets had slowly dwindled down to just a few stragglers finishing up shopping before returning home for the night.

The relative emptiness of the Alley eased Harry's worries some. The attack that was about to take place was not a large one but with the way the Death Eaters seemed to enjoy flinging around Unforgivable curses it was best to have as few innocent bystanders as was possible.

"Is this how you treat women when you go on dates?" Harry asked as he received the offered ice cream cone from Teddy, "Might explain why that blonde friend of yours hasn't come back around."

"I treat Stacy like an angel because she is one," Teddy said in mock seriousness as the two men made their way to the small tables out front of the ice cream shoppe, "And because she's got a great rack."

That comment earned a snort out of Harry, "It is becoming more and more obvious why you are still hopelessly single Teddy."

The table Harry chose was nearest to the alley and offered a clear view of the jewelry store that was across the street and two buildings down. Speed would have to be enough to prevent any casualties because any warning Harry offered to the store owner would only be met with suspicion.

Teddy plopped down into the chair as care-freely as possible and replied, "Ah yes, and I'm sure your stoic attitude has women coming at you in droves."

The slight shake of the hand that Teddy was using to hold his own ice cream cone gave proof to his actual nervousness. It was good that he was nervous, Harry thought, at least he understands that we are stepping outside of talk and moving into action.

"Your mum likes my stoic attitude," Harry said idly as he surveyed the street in front of him. He wanted to scream at the couple that was leisurely making it's way down the Alley to hurry the hell up but he restrained himself.

"What?" Teddy asked confusedly, "Why would my mum know or care about your stoic attitude?"

Harry glanced back at Teddy and rolled his eyes, "Never mind, it's just a stupid joke from my time."

Teddy took a bite from his ice cream as he considered that then asked, "Is stoic-ness the norm in the future?"

Harry laughed again and turned towards Teddy while brandishing his cone threateningly, "First of all, if you say the word stoic one more time I'll shove this ice cream in your face. Second of all, I was jokingly implying that I had gotten with your mum and therefore your opinion is irrelevant. For some reason it got popular to rib your friends by claiming to have slept with their mom."

Teddy accepted that answer with a snort, "Merlin, the future sounds awful."

"You have no idea," Harry replied before turning his attention back to the jewelry store.

Teddy eyed the back of Harry's head suspiciously before asking, "You seem to be in an awfully good mood all of a sudden. I think I heard something there that vaguely resembled a laugh."

Harry didn't reply because the sight of a man walking down the Alley had drawn all of his attention. The unkempt black hair had been nearly identical to Harry's own before he had trimmed it down the day previously. The man's glasses covered brown eyes that held a sad look as he slowly made his way down the Alley. The sight of his father wasn't unexpected but it still left Harry frozen in shock for a moment.

Harry's heart went out to his father as he saw the slumped shoulders and distraught look that always accompanied the recent loss of loved ones. I could have prevented that, Harry thought, if I had only been better. He was pulled from his thoughts as a loud bang sounded from down the Alley. Approaching Harry's own position were four figures in dark cloaks with hoods raised to cover their faces.

The Death Eaters would easily reach Harry's father well before he could.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."


End file.
